Strayhorn calls for teacher pay raise
Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn called for an immediate across-the-board pay raise of $3000 for each teacher.

Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn on Wednesday called on the Legislature to give all public school teachers an immediate $3,000 pay raise.

Backed by Texas teachers' groups, her plan also would institute automatic pay increases every two years and pay bonuses to all teachers in low-performing schools that improve. She also wants to fund a mentor program for beginning teachers.

"Nearly 37,000 Texas teachers leave the classroom each year, taking their skills to better-paying jobs or simply quitting," she said. "To ensure our state's economic prosperity, we must recruit, reward and retain highly qualified and experienced teachers who are fully certified, well-paid and dedicated to a lifelong career with our most precious resource, our children."

The AP wire story noted that teacher's unions strongly backed her proposal.

That's a pretty odd friend to make if you're going into a Republican primary. I hear rumors Strayhorn is thinking of jumping into the Senate race if Dewhurst stays as Lt. Gov.
- posted @ 9:52 PM permalink